This was a stupid policy. Stupid and anti-life. From ABCNews.com: An Army general in Iraq backed away from his threat today to court martial female soldiers who get pregnant.

“I see absolutely no circumstance where I would punish a female soldier by court martial for a violation … none,” Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III wrote to ABC News in an exclusive statement. ” I fully intend to handle these cases through lesser disciplinary action.”

Cucolo triggered debate, some of it angry, when his Nov. 4 policy forbidding pregnancy among his soldiers became public recently. His policy statement said violation of the rule could be punishable by court martial, and that it would also apply to the men who get female soldiers pregnant, even if the couple is married.

While legal and military experts said the order was proper, a spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women called it “ridiculous.”

“How dare any government say we’re going to impose any kind of punishment on women for getting pregnant,” NOW President Terry O’Neill said. “This is not the 1800s.” She said NOW would seek to have Cucolo’s order rescinded, and would turn to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and even President Obama for help.

“Applying this criteria is intended to promote thoughtful and responsible behavior,” Cucolo told ABC News today. “I wanted all my soldiers to think before they act, before they make a personal choice that has consequences.” Cucolo, who ran the policy by several of his female commanders, told ABC News that seven soldiers — four women and three men — have so far been found in violation of the pregnancy portion of his general order.

The four women and two of the men received letters of reprimand that will not be remain in their permanent military files. I’m of two minds on the NOW statement. It’d be nice if NOW realized supporting abortion punishes women for getting pregnant, and Obama himself described it as punishment.

This post was originally seen on Modern Commentaries, a pro-life blog, and was reposted with permission from the original writer Amy. Please check out her writings and her blog when you get the chance. http://moderncomments.wordpress.com

One response to “Rethinking Court Martials for Pregnant Soldiers”

Look at it this way-the military wants people in war situations to be able to fight. Therefore, they don’t want pregnant women on the line, and any woman in a combat role that gets pregnant, reduces the force. This is exactly why it’s not a good idea to have women in combat roles in the first place. When I was in the Navy, men were the ones courtmartialed if they were caught fraternizing with the women on board the ship.